Time Is Not the Same as Force
by SnapsForMadhuri
Summary: *Pre OoT* Nobody has an easy life, or an easy mind for that matter. Nabooru is no acception. A bitty story about how Nabs came to be the strong gal she was in OoT, and how a few other random characters also came into play later on in the Legend.
1. Chapter 1

**This story was inspired by Jeshichan on DevianArt's picture, "Nabooru - Alone", and the song "Lost!" by coldplay (40 year old Virgin quote in head), only a bit. Mostly the picture.**

**It's pretty random and there's no real explanation of how anything happened, but I guess it's about a few years before OoT.**

**Use your imaginations! XD**

**OKAY ALSO: Since I plan on continuing this, I will tell you now: It's probably not what you're expecting. It's random as HELL, but a pretty good explanation of a few events in a later game, if I do say so myself. We'll see. **

**And, this story will also PROBABLY be very short, like 5 or six chapters. Again, we'll see.**

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Nabooru rode her regal brown horse through the gates of the Haunted Wasteland and into the Fortress Territory. She felt queasy from the setting sun and the hot air on her unusually light skin, for a Gerudo, and looked forward to dining in the chilled Royal Hall of the Fortress more than ever. Usually she would rather spend her free hours alone or with people she actually enjoyed rather her room full of uptight Royals, but today, all she wanted was to be indoors. With whom and doing what didn't matter at that point.

After having a gate attendant take her horse and cloak, Nabooru lazily strode toward the Fortress, her head down in pure exhaustion. It was usually held high, but today was reason for acception. The heat was taking an unusual amount of stamina from her strong being. Once she felt the stiff, intricately designed rugs from Termina under her feet, along with the chilled air of the great indoors, she felt her muscles relax a bit. But then she remembered how poorly she got along with the rest of her comrades, and how they thought it fun to gang up on her daily. And then there was Ganondorf. Oh, how she looked forward to spending an hour beside him.

Since birth, she was appointed the position of the future King's second, the Nobles knowing full well of her legendary destiny. She was therefore separated from her family and brought to the Fortress at the age of three months, leaving her family behind in their ratty tents on the outskirts of the desert, and in the wake of her underlying powers. Surprisingly, Nabooru remembered some of this violent ordeal almost fourteen years ago: Her mother wasn't happy about letting her daughter go, and so, the guards sent to retrieve the babe resorted to scimitars and whips in order for the woman to release the bundle of cloth in her bloody arms. All Nabooru remembered was a lot of screaming and crying, screaming that would stay in the back of her mind always. Something she had grown accustomed to, despite the heart-wrenching properties of it all.

Of course, Nabooru never thought this to be strange at all; she was raised with the nobles and never knew her true family anyway. She had assumed them to have been long gone, considering the typical lifestyle of an average Gerudo outside the Fortress's security. Being the tough spirited girl she was, it never bothered her much, save for times of extreme sadness and lonely feelings. Those didn't come along often, for Nabooru's mind had been trained by Nabooru herself to handle these things 'like an adult', though she was still quite young. She saw little point in wasting time pondering her feelings, or her past for that matter.

"There you are," hissed Sayla, Nabooru's assistant and guardian. "Had you come any later, you would have been late for the meeting!" She put her left arm tenderly but sternly around Nabooru's broad shoulders and led her towards the main dining hall.

"Din, that's tonight?!" Nabooru whisper-screeched as they approached the side entrance to the hall.

"Yes! How could you forget such an important thing as this? Need I remind you that the entire nation's famine relies on the Hylian's decision based on tonight?!" Sayla whispered back, dusting grains of sand from Nabooru's pale pink harem pants and sweaty neck. "Go! The Hylian Royal Family is coming across the bridge as we speak!"

Nabooru found herself pushed through the dark red curtains and into the mess of thrones that stuck from the grand table at the head of the hall for Gerudo Royals. She smelled the roast Moblin and nearly fainted from the fumes of the wine served alongside it. She never had a taste for such foods.

"Nabooru!" She heard somebody hiss from her left. She looked to the familiar, deep voice and saw Ganondorf at the center of the table on his throne, frantically yet calmly signaling her to get her ass over there before they Hylian Royals made their grand entrance. She scurried behind the already seated nobles and to her empty throne beside his.

"What'd I miss?" She tossed off, failing to conceal her cocky half smile as she sat down in order to make him even more frantic. She loved nothing more than to see him uneasy, as he did with her.

"Nothing, yet. Where in Farore's Green Hyrule were you all day?!" He asked. "You missed the rehearsal this afternoon."

Nabooru barked a laugh, causing the frantic women throughout the hall to jump. "Rehearsal? A rehearsal for a little dinner with those stuffy Hylians?"

"Yes! Now be quiet and smile; they're coming." Ganondorf shifted in his seat, sat up tall, and faced forward with a determined look on his face.

"Lighten up, Ganondorf; I'm here now, aren't I?" Nabooru playfully nudged his right arm with her left elbow, bringing out a rather hysterical, high-pitched growl from the side of his tense mouth. Nabooru giggled as he smacked her arm way with his large hand.

"Knock it off, Nabooru!" He whispered.

"Din, you act like you've never had a meeting with the people that decide our nation's crop fate before," she whispered back, doing as she had been told. She faced the front and smiled a perfectly fake smile as the trumpets sounded and the long red tapestries parted, revealing the Hylian King and Queen, a slightly pair in their obnoxiously bright attire and crowns. They looked upon everything with distaste as if they were better than the desert and the 'hardly civilized barbarians' inhabiting it.

Truth was, Nabooru was just as nervous as Ganondorf was. If this meeting went well, the entire nation could have access to rich produce and livestock, doing well to handle the food situation for at least one year. If it went poorly…Gerudo Valley would return to its previous state of famine and decreasing population. Nabooru just had a different way of handling things than Ganondorf did.

Ganondorf stood to greet the pair, and Nabooru followed at almost the exact same time, never breaking her stoic face.

Thank Din for quick reflexes, she thought to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

About ten minutes into the dinner, being seated beside Ganondorf, who was busy negotiating about crops with the King, and the Hylian Queen, Nabooru was forced to make nice with the frail woman beside her. Since there was nothing for them to negotiate, for that was the Kings' job, she was lowered to the topic of the half eaten carved Moblin on the Queen's plate.

"Is the food to your liking?" She asked in her most polite and submissive voice.

The Hylian Queen kept her bony, turned-up nose pointed at the lantern-adorned ceiling while pushing the spicy meat around with her fork like a child would their vegetables.

"The meat is quite spicy and dry," she replied after a hearty swig of wine. "But I suppose it is alright."

"I'm sorry it's not of your taste miss, but as you know by now, we are unfortunately at a lack for any fresh crops or meat." Nabooru replied sweetly, holding back the impolite names and gestures that tore at her lips.

The Queen said nothing, but took a dainty sip of wine and continued childishly pushing the food on her plate around.

Nabooru blinked, raised her eyebrows, and forced a grin. Hylians were by far the most impolite of all the people and creatures in Hyrule. She turned her head calmly to Ganondorf's direction. He was tossing back his wine while the King spoke about archery and his 'impressive form' to the bored Noble on his right.

"Let me guess, the King is just as rude as the Queen?" She said quietly to him while sniffing at her filed wine goblet. She put it back above her plate without sipping at it, in hopes of being sober enough to see Ganondorf get into a spat with the King and remember it the next day. Alcohol always managed to loosen his lips.

"If not as rude, even more." He continued his attack on the drink, and waited a bit impatiently as a servant refilled it from a canvas sack.

"Din, pace yourself," Nabooru warned him reluctantly. She always managed to find her soft spot when it wasn't wanted. "You'll say something stupid if you continue this way."

"Who cares?" He said, tapping the base of the goblet on the table to win the servant's attention back.

"Me," Nabooru said as softly as her silky voice could allow without sounding hoarse, which granted was not very. She pouted dramatically and looked at him with mock sadness in her giant golden eyes.

"Lies," Ganondorf said while the servant eyed him suspiciously as she refilled the empty cup, again. She scurried away shaking her head. Ganondorf had managed to pound back the last serving before the King was descent enough to pay him any heed.

Nabooru sighed and shook her head as well. Ganondorf was a wise leader, but often made such boneheaded decisions that it made her head spin. Even though he was the oldest of the pair, she felt the need to look out for him constantly.

The Queen cleared her throat loudly and for much longer than needed. Nabooru turned to face her, a bored look on her face.

"I think things are going rather well with those too, don't you?" she sneered sarcastically at seeing Ganondorf speak to the King after drinking so much. He was on the verge of slurring his words and had trouble controlling his arms already.

Nabooru turned to take in the hilarious spectacle. The King looked bored as ever, which was just as good as if he was at the same level of intoxication as Ganondorf was.

She felt herself smiling at Ganondorf's over-exaggerated gestures. For somebody his size, he couldn't handle liquor very well for very long.

Before she knew it, Nabooru watched the Hylians get back in their amazingly fat horse drawn carriage, over the bridge and back to Hyrule Field while the rest of the Nobles remained in the Fortress, cheering. The meeting went off without a hitch, despite Ganondorf's foolish decision, and the Hylians had decided to grant a trade pact upon the Gerudo on the spot, providing the desert dwellers with ample food for months.

Ganondorf swayed beside her with a content look on his face. "See? Nothing even happened, did it?"

"Only because you ran out of wine," she said playfully. "Fantastic job. I am very proud of your negotiating skills."

"I know you well enough to know you mean that as a compliment, so thank you." Ganondorf swayed and spun randomly in place with his arms out. Nabooru laughed quietly.

"You're welcome," Nabooru said with a smile. He did know her well, better than she liked.

"I think we should celebrate," he said, grinning down at her in the moonlight. "There's more than enough room in my bed for the two of us."

Nabooru raised her eyebrows in shock. Ganondorf was often flirtatious toward her in a show of silliness now and again, but he was never outwardly suggestive.

"No, thank you…" She said distractedly. "I think you need your rest."

"C'mon, Nabs, no need to be such a prude," He said, starting off unsteadily to the Fortress.

"Grow up," she hissed. Truth be told, that she was. It was the main reason Ganondorf was such a pain for her to handle, he always made teasing comments about her looks that made her incredibly uncomfortable. She knew very well that it was just a little game between them, a bond in a way, but it still made her uncomfortable.

"Why don't you grow up, Nabooru?" Ganondorf stopped walking and turned around to face her. He seemed a bit irked about her comment. "You're the one who gets freaked out whenever I joke about liking you. Maybe you should try and be more mature sometimes, and then maybe I wouldn't have to look out for you so much." He turned back around and continued to walk.

Nabooru was shocked. She didn't expect him to take it so personally, let alone attack her back. He usually just laughed her off, but now he was so bothered at her that she felt as though she wanted to cry for the first time in months. She wasn't trying to make him angry.

She jogged to catch up, and took a deep, silent breath before speaking.

"You look out for me?" Nabooru said, feeling the oncoming tears quickly recede. "I'm not the one who gets drunk on one of the most important nights of the entire nation's fate!"

They were nearing the entrance to the Fortress, and the night guards were discreetly eavesdropping on their little spar.

"So what?" He said, getting angrier. "At least I was actually on time, and showed up for rehearsal. If you hadn't of shown up before they arrived, I would have been attacked by everybody for your mistake, and you know it. If you took care of your own business like an adult, I would probably have a lot less to deal with."

That got Nabooru mad, if nothing else would work. She would much rather be the one getting drunk on an important occasion than the absentee who was always late. She certainly didn't want to be the irresponsible little kid who never obeyed anybody, even if she didn't. She didn't want people to think she was, at least. She was about to retaliate when Ganondorf spoke up again.

"I see right through your little childish games. You can't get away with them forever; someday you'll have to own up to your actions. You can't just lead people on that you are a sweet little innocent kid, because the last thing you are is 'innocent'."

Nabooru glared at him. They were inside the Fortress, and she feared that he might be able to see the hurt on her face if she didn't act quickly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you act like a kid, but you think like an adult. I suppose it's just a bit shady, the way you wrap people around your finger."

"I don't do that. Maybe I'm actually nice, did you ever consider that?" She snapped, hopping he believed her.

"I know you're not. So do all the nobles; why do you think they act so rudely towards you? Everybody here hates you! Don't worry about wanting to be left alone," he said, referring to her many past comments about being smothered by everybody and wanting to be left to herself, "I am definitely not going to bother you anymore."

Nabooru stopped in her tracks. He didn't mean it, he was just drunk. At least that's what she told herself to keep from crying like a little baby.

She was speechless. If he was right, then it would explain why everybody enjoyed picking fights with her randomly after everything seemed to be going so well, why they gossiped about her when she was three yards away, and why they gave her dirty looks.

He was right. Everybody hated her.

So she let the tears flow. What was the point of holding them in? For the first time, she wanted him to see her for what she was: A little, immature no matter how hard she tried, kid. She didn't want him to think badly of her, even though she was. She just couldn't get herself to change.

She felt so uncomfortable when his face went from angry to concerned, and even more uncomfortable when he said, "Nabooru, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean it. Nobody hates you at all."

She couldn't respond. It hurt to cry, but it felt good at the same time. She turned and walked quickly out of the Fortress, wiping her tears as she went. She could hear Ganondorf coming after her, apologizing with an obvious amount of rue in his usually emotionless voice, but she couldn't stop. If everybody hated her, why stay? All she was a burden. She walked right past the stables, to the bridge, and jumped over the edge. She straightened herself out and landed in the water, feeling the sharp bite of the cold water mixed with her pounding head, her stinging eyes, and her sore throat. She swam as fast as she could down river until she reached Lake Hylia's steady waters. She walked onto the shore, her clothes and hair sticking to her body uncomfortably, and collapsed to her knees. She felt the loneliness of the big, empty space around her, the sound of the waterfall, and the crickets engulf her along with knowing everybody she secretly cared about secretly didn't care about her, and on top of it all, the darkness. The sky was dark to match her eyes.

So what if she was being a baby? She was only thirteen! She shouldn't have to handle this! She's just a child, and was in no condition to handle this. For years she had been a very negative person, and the only one who could cheer her up in an instant was Ganondorf. Now she found out that he hates her. All was in vain.

She sobbed into her hands, wondering how she could possibly have been stupid enough to miss this. Maybe she was just a little kid, no matter how hard she tried to be mature. In reality, she was less mature than any ten year old, playing little mind games and hoping she would get her way. She began to wonder if anyone even cared what happened to her now.

So to Termina she ran.

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**Depending on how many people express interest in this story, I will end it here or continue.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I admit, the rest of the story PROBABLY has little details that inevitably screw up the plot line a bit, but what do you want - I haven't played MM in years. I don't remember all this trivial crap...Haha**

**WARNING: OC's up ahead. And a mention of something like an AU, but ya know, I'm not moving the story there. **

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Nabooru walked calmly through East Clock Town in the pouring rain, ignoring the bite of the cold and the sting of the tears welling up in her eyes. Every time she thought about Ganondorf, she though about what he said. When she thought about what he said, the tears were unavoidable.

She took a deep breath as she approached the first door she saw. She made a fist and took out her aggression on the wooden barrier, not caring who was behind it.

"Get away, wench," sounded a man's voice behind the door, speaking Termanian. "Members only. Go back to the Great Bay."

Nabooru shook off the insult and said, in her second most polite voice after having walked through the forest in the rain for days on end without any real food or drink, "I haven't eaten in days and I've been in the rain. Please, let me in."

"Try the Inn across the way," the voice curtly responded, hitting the door once.

"They're closed until morning, and I can't wait that long," Nabooru snapped, loosing her little patience and flawless Termanian accent.

"You're gonna have to. Now leave!"

"Please, I've come all the way from Hyrule," Nabooru pleaded once more, deciding she would get farther being nice than being rude.

"Hyrule?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"Are you part of the entertainment for tonight?"

"...No..."

"Then _go away_!" The voice yelled, hitting the door once again, sending a harsh ringing through Nabooru's ears.

Nabooru exhaled and turned to face East Clock Town. The rain was making puddles in the stone ground, and she was cruelly reminded of Lake Hylia. She shook her head, and started walking toward the Inn once more, hoping that somebody would hear her pounding. The only thing close to human interaction was a sign on the door reading "Closed - Come back in the morning".

She continued pounding in hopes of a real response when she saw four cloaked figures carrying all manner of instruments walking toward the Milk Bar. She quickly ran to a shadowy exit, and waiting, watched as the figures conversed impatiently with the door. As soon as it opened, Nabooru sprinted silently towards the open door, making it through seconds before it swung back shut. She ducked in a corner and listened to the sound of a broom sweeping the floor down the steps with her eyes shut in anticipation of being caught. After hearing thumping footsteps, chattering voices and laughter, and glasses clinking together, she decided to open her eyes and look around a bit. The entire room was lit up with purple, yellow, and red lights. It was much warmer that it was outdoors, but she wouldn't call it warm, considering she was from Gerudo Valley, often regarded as the hottest place in the world. The people at the bar were all talking like they knew each other, and the mysterious guests were being escorted by a man who seemed to be the owner of the bar through a door in the back of the room. She quickly and silently made her way down the steps when the bartender had his back turned, and snuck against the wall to the door. She slid it open as small as she could fit and slid in.

She turned around to see a glorious room filled with lanterns and tapestries imported from Hyrule, a brilliant contrast to the dimly-lit and boringly decorated bar on the other side of the door. She saw the last cloaked figure walk through a doorway to the left, and followed them through at a safe distance. She wound up in a corridor with several rooms behind several doors, each person going through a different one. Nabooru stood at a loss, wondering why she even followed them, until the manager appeared at the end of the corridor. He saw her before she could hide behind one of the curtains at the doorway, and said, "Hey, you! Don't even think about moving or you will be escorted by our guard to the mayor's punishment offices!"

Nabooru froze. She was in no mood for punishment. He was quickly walking toward her, an angry look on his thin, red face. She said the first thing that would have gotten her out of any trouble.

"I will perform tomorrow and any other day for free if you let me stay here," she blurted out.

The man stopped in his tracks. "Why on earth would we want you around here? You would serve us no good. We have our own performers that are ten times better than you. Now get out!"

"This bar is _male _members only, is it not? If you give me food and a place to sleep tonight, I will continue to make this bar popular as best I can without any pay from you."

The man's face softened a bit. He pondered letting Nabooru stay to be a free attraction, while Nabooru silently panicked. Her stomach was begging for food, her arms and legs were sore from travelling, and she was still freezing cold from the rain.

"You can stay the night. I will give you food before you perform."

"Oh, thank you so much-"

"But," The man cut her off, "If you don't please the members with whatever you intend to do on stage, you will be kicked out immediately, I assure you."

Nabooru sighed in relief. "Thank you, sir - I promise, you won't regret this at all."

"You better be right," He said, "Or else you will spend tonight in the streets with the waifs." He looked her up and down, assessing her clothing, if nothing else. "You say you are from Hyrule?"

"Yes, sir. Gerudo Valley."

"Ah, that explains why I took you as a Great Bay Pirate."

Nabooru laughed politely. She wasn't sure how to respond.

"I am Ingo, owner of the Milk Bar." He held out his hand. Nabooru recognized the gesture from text in class, learning about Termania's language and culture. She knew to shake his hand about twice with a firm grip.

"I am Nabooru. Nice to meet you," she smiled. "Thank you again for letting me stay. I promise, you will not regret it."

"Of course you can stay! You're like family now. Any one who performs here is treated as any relative." He beamed. "Come," He said with another bright smile. "You need plenty of food if you want to do well tonight."

He led Nabooru back up to the bar, where he ordered the bartender to put together a plate of food for her.

"This is Nabooru," he said with the pride of a parent whose child just passed their classes. "She will be performing with the band tonight."

She sat and attacked the cuckoo meat while Ingo went back behind the door. She tried to ignore the stares from admiring members near her at the bar while she ate, until he returned with the night's initial performers. They were all men, but from where she couldn't quite tell. She assumed Clocktown, the way the resembled Hylians, but she didn't much care. All she cared about was the food in front of her.

"Hello!" said one of the taller of the five men in the troupe with an enthusiastic smile. "Are you a Gerudo?!" He asked excitedly.

"Uhm..." Nabooru responded with a mouthful of food. She quickly swallowed and said, "Yes."

"That's so great! We play Gerudo music!" One of the others said, flipping his blond hair out of his face.

"Really?" Nabooru suddenly perked up a bit. "Where did you learn it?"

"We traveled there a few years back from Edrusland, and loved the music."

"Tribal or urban?"

"A bit of both," the tallest one replied, "but mostly tribal. It's much more universal, ya know?"

"...Sure."

"So anyways," he said, "My name's Adam."

"I'm Joseph," said the shortest one, smiling with needle-like teeth.

"Nicolas," said one with black hair and astonishingly pale skin. He was the one describing tribal music earlier.

"And my name's Tomas," said the one with blond hair who told her about their love of Gerudo music.

"I'm Nabooru. Nice to meet you," Nabooru said with a geniune smile, scanning them to remember their names.

"So Ingo tells us you'll be performing to our music, huh?" Nicolas said, pulling a thin twig out of his mouth and tossing it over his shoulder.

"Yes."

"Well, you'll be great since it's your home town's music, I bet." Adam grinned.

Nabooru smiled. She was glad people in this town were nice. She was used to catty, rude girls back in Gerudo Valley. People here were down-to-earth and polite.

_So far, so good_, she thought. _I may never have to go home again._

About an hour later, after conversations and setting up the band's instruments, Nabooru still had no idea how she was going to earn her keep. She thought about dancing, since she had been trained traditional and modern Gerudo dance since birth practically, but she never performed for me. That is a very different setting than a roomful of women who know her as the princess, not a ton of men who know her as "the pretty lady who dances".

She retied her hair after the rain did it's part on it, and fluffed up her damp harem pants. The band was tuning their drums, guitars, and trumpets, while Nabooru paced behind them wondering what the hell to do. She knew she would dance, but she was very uncomfortable with it.

The bar was filling up with members, so many that some had to stand or sit on the staircase. Their voices were getting louder the more they drank, and Nabooru got more nervous every second. She admitted her stage fright to herself when she was young but it was something she never thought to conquer. Again feeling immature, Nabooru fought back tears and battled memories of Ganondorf away.

As the band finished checking their instruments and Adam told Nabooru that they were ready, she knew she was going to have to - and soon.

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**Haha, Termanian...Yeah, I didn't know what else it would be called. **

**OKAY :**

**The OC dudes are about as close to American hippies as the Zelda Universe would allow me to write, haha. I had to try and think of, like, twelfth century English names to keep it kosher... Forgive the normal sounding-ness of them...Dude for the town name I just banged on the keyboard until something came up xD**

**Gerudos in my story speak Hindi (HECK YES, that one's for Libs)**

**And Termanians is like...Meh it can be English. (Haha that one can be for Libs, too)**


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